The Other's Weapon
by Lilykit627
Summary: Inspired by theroyaistory's headcanon that Roy gave Riza her first gun. Fluffy.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I own very little. Arakawa owns the characters. This little thing was inspired by theroyaistory's (on tumblr) headcanon that Roy gave Riza her first gun and "they gave each other the weapons that they turned into."

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><p><strong>1913<strong>

Riza pulled open the drawer in her nightstand to put her hairclip away and paused when her hand brushed the cold handle of the gun lying inside. Her eyes lingered on the engraved hawk's head for a moment before she closed the drawer and sat on her bed, readying herself for sleep.

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><p><strong>1901<strong>

"Where are you going?" She jumped when she heard the boy's voice. No one else was usually awake at this time of day. Turning, she saw him leaning back in his chair so that it balanced on the two back legs. He had a few books in front of him, one of them open to a list of alchemic symbols, and a piece of paper on which he'd been copying them.

"For a walk." She turned back around and started forward again.

"Can I come?" She sighed. Things were so much simpler before he came. Not that she minded that her father left his room more often, but he had left her alone.

"Aren't you studying?" She faced him, getting impatient.

Roy looked back at the books and pursed his lips to the side. "Not really. I drew an angle off by five degrees yesterday, so Master is making me draw all of them again. It's really boring." He looked at her with big eyes and knitted his eyebrows together. "Please?"

Riza rolled her eyes. "Fine. You can come." Roy's face lit up and he closed the book with a thud. He jumped up to follow her and tailed her like a puppy as they left the house. Speaking of puppies, she gestured for her old dog, Kumo, who fell in line next to her, wagging his tail. He knew the drill.

As they started down the path leading to the creek, she glanced over at her human companion. He had a goofy smile on his face, shifting his head slightly to look around as they walked. He caught her eye and she looked away.

"What?" he asked

She shrugged. "Why did you want to come with me?"

"I told you; I was bored."

"Yeah, but you could have gone for a walk by yourself." Their voices sounded muted in the early morning air, the sky above almost silver it was so light.

He laughed a little. "My aunt's house is always full of people. I'm just not used to being by myself, I guess."

Riza tried to imagine what a full house would be like - all the bedrooms full, people chatting wherever more than one chair was placed, bumping into each other in the kitchen. She frowned. It seemed like too much of a hassle.

"So," Roy said, his voice brighter than the sky, "where are we going?"

She sighed, hoping he would turn back before they got to their destination. "Just to the creek and back." Truthfully, she was going a bit further than that, hoping to go to her makeshift practice range, but if he was with her, she wouldn't get the chance. Kumo stopped along the edge of the road to take care of his business and the two stopped to wait for him.

"Do you do this every morning?" He didn't seem to notice or care that Riza was giving him the cold shoulder.

"Usually." Kumo trotted up to them and they turned to keep going.

"Can I join you?"

Riza stopped. Every day? She looked at him, wondering at how clueless he was. Did he not see that she didn't want him hanging around? His smile was gone, replaced with innocent confusion. "Why?"

He shrugged and looked down at the road. He brought up his hand to scratch the back of his head. "I just thought it might be nice if we were friends, since I'm kind of living here for a few months." He glanced up at her, obviously hurt that she didn't want him around.

She let out a loud sigh. "I'm not really going for a walk. I just said that because I didn't think you were coming."

He lowered his hand, looking at her in surprise. "Then what are you doing?"

No one else knew about this, and she liked it that way, but it didn't seem like he was the type to let it go. If she brushed him off, he'd probably not ask again, but she hated the way his eyes looked when he was sad. "Shooting practice."

His surprise turned to shock. "With a gun?" She nodded. His eyebrows lifted as he frowned, impressed. "I never would have guessed. You always seem so quiet."

"And quiet people can't use guns?" She felt a little defensive. He was making too big a deal out of it. He could have just accepted it and gone back.

"No, that's not it. It's just … I don't know." His smile came back. "Can I watch you practice?"

She measured him up, trying to determine if he was serious. Well, of course he was serious; he even seemed excited. Kumo paced around, anxious to keep going. Finally, Riza sighed and let her shoulders drop. "Sure."

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><p>When they reached the creek, she turned left and continued down a little ways until she found the hiding spot for her mother's hunting rifle. She carried it further down until they reached the edge of a field that belonged to one of her neighbors. She wasn't sure which one; she'd never seen them out here and there wasn't a house nearby. She picked up four of the bricks lying around for practice and lined them up on the fence posts, the wire having fallen away. Roy followed her, happy enough to be included that he had remained silent for the rest of the walk.<p>

Riza walked back about 20 feet and put in her earplugs before pulling a cartridge out of her coat pocket. She loaded the rifle and then raised it to her shoulder. Roy stood back along the edge of the woods lining the field next to Kumo, putting in the earplugs Riza had given him. Riza took a breath to steady herself and couldn't concentrate. She glanced irritatedly over toward the spectator before closing her eyes and taking another deep breath. Opening her eyes again, she stared at the first brick down the barrel and felt herself adjust to the perfect position. She pulled the trigger and the brick toppled over backwards as the rifle bit back into her shoulder.

"Whoa." Roy's voice was low and impressed. Riza smiled slightly. If he thought that was good, he'd obviously not seen someone shoot before. Maybe if she showed him what she was really capable of, he'd be too scared to talk to her again.

She moved back another 20 feet and positioned herself in front of the third brick. Honestly, she'd only ever done this successfully twice, but her focus had come back. Now she had a goal in mind, something that always helped calm her down. She raised the rifle again, carefully lining up her shot, and then just before she pulled the trigger, shifted so that she faced the second brick and pulled the trigger three times in succession, aiming down the line. The first two landed squarely in the center of the brick as they fell backwards. The last brick did fall backwards, but she had been off by an inch, chipping the side.

Lowering the rifle, she sighed. She had been so close. She stepped forward to pick up the bricks when Roy shouted, "That was amazing! Seriously! Holy crap!" He was laughing in astonishment, the sudden outburst shocking Riza. She stared at him and his laugh slowly died off, leaving a huge grin on his face. "You're really great at this." The unabashed enthusiasm in his eyes made her blush.

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><p>After that, he'd come watch her practice every day, sitting with Kumo to the side. She gradually got used to his presence and even let herself smile with him a few times. She started making snarky comments about his study habits, making him laugh loudly enough to startle her. Maybe it was nice to have a friend like this.<p>

As his training got more intense, he had to stop going with her every day, spending three mornings a week scrambling to work on whatever her father had assigned him the night before. The first time he didn't come with her, Riza's aim was a little off. She'd gotten used to him standing near her, and she'd apparently started using him as support. She adjusted and tried again, this time hitting all of the targets, but she felt a little shaken that she had let him so far in.

Years passed like this, until one morning, he seemed more cheerful than usual, but he hardly looked at Riza as they walked and his smile didn't seem sincere. On the way back to the house, Riza asked, "What's wrong?"

He looked at her surprised. "What? Nothing's wrong." She cocked an eyebrow at him and he smiled. "I met someone last weekend."

Riza's stomach suddenly felt uneasy even as she teased with a smile. "A girl?"

Roy huffed. "No, a State Alchemist. His name is Tim Marcoh and he came to my aunt's bar. I asked him a couple questions about the state certification."

"Oh." Riza looked down, remembering what her father had said about State Alchemists.

"I'm thinking about enlisting. I do want to get my certification, but it's … more than that."

Riza didn't answer and Roy didn't continue. They got back to the house and went about the rest of their day. The next morning, Roy was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her.

"Is it okay if I come with you today?" he asked, his eyes still heavy, but his smile genuine.

Riza smiled at him. "Of course."

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><p>A month later, he told Riza he'd been accepted into the military academy. He hadn't been sure about it, even after being accepted, but Riza encouraged him to enroll. She knew he'd do well there, that he could really do some good. But she warned him against telling her father too soon. He'd probably throw Roy out after hearing about it.<p>

The morning before he told her father, he held a box in his hands, wrapped immaculately with a bow on top as he waited for her.

"What is this?"

"I wanted to give you something before I left, to thank you for helping me out while I lived here." His smile was soft and kind as he held it out for her to take.

She took the box and was surprised at its weight. "It's heavy." She stepped into the kitchen and laid it down on the table. Inside was a beautiful .45 caliber shiny new pistol with two boxes of ammo and a holster with a clip on the back so it could fit on the top of her pants. Picking up the pistol, she marveled at the grip, perfectly suited to her hand. It caught the light and she saw something scratched into the side. A silhouette of a hawk's head was carved into the side.

"Do you like it?" Roy's voice sounded nervous. "I don't know if you've ever used a handgun before, but I thought-" Riza turned around and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight, still holding the gun in her right hand.

"It's perfect. Thank you." Roy's arms pressed around her and he rested his cheek against the top of her head. She could have hugged him forever but she had to let go.

He was blushing. "Do you want to try it out?"

She nodded enthusiastically and his smile grew wider. She pocketed the cartridges and clipped the holster on to the back of her pants. She checked herself out in the mirror in the hallway as they left, smiling at the engraving which was still visible over the top of the holster. As the walked, Roy slipped his hand into Riza's and interlaced their fingers. She smiled at him, feeling lighter than she had in a long time.

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><p>At the field, she loaded the pistol and cocked it. She raised it up but it just felt awkward. "No, not like that." Roy moved closer, adjusting her hands so that her left hand cupped both the grip and her right hand. "Bend your left elbow just a little bit." His hands brushed against her arm as he gave her instructions.<p>

"How did you get to be so knowledgeable?" she teased.

He blushed. "When I bought the gun for you, the store manager gave me some tips. And my sisters carry smaller revolvers with them, in case things go south at work. They helped me out."

After a few more adjustments, Roy stepped away. "Okay, I think that's good." Riza nodded, focusing on the bricks. She pulled the trigger, revelling in the smoothness. The recoil was nothing compared to her mother's old rifle. The brick fell, cracked in the exact center. Her eyes lit up and she looked at Roy, who was beaming back at her.

They stayed out there longer than usual, and Riza was almost late getting to school, but it was worth it. Sure enough, when Roy told his teacher that he was joining the military, Master Hawkeye got angry and asked him to leave immediately. Riza got home to find Roy packing his bags.

"So you're leaving?" she asked.

"Yeah. Master didn't seem to approve of my enlisting." He looked up at her and smiled. "I'll come back and visit, if that's okay with you."

She nodded, knowing that his visits would be few and far between. "Send us a card so we have your address."

"I will." He closed his bag and zipped it shut. He smiled at her. "Riza, I want to thank you again, for letting me be your friend." She moved next to him and smiled.

"No, thank you." She drew him into another hug. "And good luck." She felt his lips press against the top of her head and her smile deepened.

"I'll miss you." His voice was deeper.

"I'll miss you, too." She thought about how lonely her walks to the range would be now. But he'd always be with her now, with her new pistol. She'd practice and be perfect with it to show him when he came to visit.

He left about an hour later, walking toward town carrying his bags. He'd grown about six inches since he started studying with her father, and she couldn't help but notice how much fuller his frame seemed. He'd be a great man, she knew it. She just wished she could be there to see it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** I never intended to write another chapter for this story, but I couldn't get it out of my head. Written for Royai Week 2014, Day 6: Memories.

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><p><strong>1913<strong>

It happened from time to time. Riza moved her left shoulder around, trying to adjust her jacket so that it would take care of the slight itch on her back without disturbing her squadmates. The scars never hurt anymore, just itched on occasion, especially in warmer weather. She remembered the unbearable urge to scratch she had endured during the first summer after she got the tattoo. She never did manage to get it on her own and had invested in a back-scratcher. She only used it a few times, though. It was too rough, too painful, and brought up too many bad memories.

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><p><strong>1904<strong>

Riza bit her lip and clenched the sheets in her firsts. Nothing she did made it hurt any less. She remembered what her father had told her before he began the process and tried to keep her body relaxed, but when he would stop to wipe away the blood trickling down her back, she would tense up just before he reinserted the needle to continue the process. She never made a sound, no matter how bad the pain got, and her eyes stayed dry. And there was no denying she wanted this.

Honestly, she wished her father had never thought about flame alchemy. Her mother would still be alive and he wouldn't be sick and they would be happy. But he had, so here they were. And this way, she could be a part of his research. She could make sure flame alchemy was used to help people, not to destroy them, like what Roy had said.

But it still hurt.

_Of all times for him to come, he just had to pick now_, Riza thought as she heard a knock on the door. Her back still stung when she moved, even though it had been days since her father had finished. She steeled herself to the feel of her dress shifting against her back, straightened her shoulders, and walked to the door.

He stood on the porch, grinning shyly when he saw her. "Hey, Riza."

She wanted to return his smile, more than anything, and she forced her lips to twitch upward, but they refused to stay. "Hello, Mr. Mustang. Come in." Without looking at his face, she knew his smile was fading and his eyebrows were lowering with concern. His anticipated questions already ticked her off.

In the hallway, Roy looked around at the house. "Not much has changed since I last visited."

"There's no reason for it to have changed, Mr. Mustang." Riza reached up to help him out of his coat. They had both grown in the past year, but Riza had grown about a half-inch more than Roy had. They were almost the same height, now.

Once his jacket was hanging up on the rack, he turned to face her. "Why are you calling me 'Mr. Mustang'?"

Riza glanced off to the side, feeling resentment bubble up inside her. It wasn't his fault - he had no idea it had even happened - but she couldn't shake the feeling that if he hadn't shown up, her father wouldn't have felt the need to do this.

"Because you are my father's student, a guest, and a student at the military academy. That is how I should address you."

"But you called me Roy last time I was here. Nothing's changed between us since then."

_You're wrong. Everything has changed._ Riza shrugged. "If it bothers you, I can call you 'sir' or 'Mr. Roy'." Not once did she look up at his face. The silence that fell after she spoke was enough to understand his reaction.

Finally, he answered softly, "Mr. Mustang is fine."

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><p>"Good morning, Mr. Mustang." Riza had hoped he wouldn't be waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. This was the first day she had felt well enough to go out and practice and she was looking forward to being out of the house by herself.<p>

"Good morning," he said cheerfully, bounced back from the cold greeting yesterday. "Are you going out to practice?"

"Yes." She continued getting ready, slipping her jacket over her shoulders and fixing it so it hung over the holster on her back. Her back stung slightly at the added pressure.

"Can I come?" The dreaded question struck her harder than she had thought it would. Maybe it was his tone - gentle and hopeful and warm, or that she understood that his question meant much more than just accompanying her for a short walk.

God, did she want to say yes. She wanted to smile at him like nothing was wrong and tease him about school and talk about their plans for the future, but she couldn't. Not with her back still burning from the thousands of needle pricks - the needle pricks that he was partially responsible for.

_But he has no idea! It's not his fault._ Her eyes grew hot as she fought inside herself. If he had just waited to come back for a few weeks, she would have been able to lie, both to him and to herself.

Rolling her shoulders back and shaking her head to press all of that back down, she managed a small smile. "If you want."

For a second, he gaped in surprise and then his mouth spread in the largest, goofiest grin she had ever seen. Riza dropped her head away from him, trying not to cry for the second time in a minute. She didn't say anything and they started down the path from the house.

She could feel him glancing at her every few seconds, but she never looked at him. She kept her eyes on the path, occasionally looking up at the fields on either side of them. He took a breath a few times as if to say something, but he never did. Her annoyance came back in full force at his awkwardness. She should have told him no.

She glanced in his direction, never looking at him directly, and asked, "How is your aunt?" If he was just going to shy away from her the whole time, she'd never be able to get good practice in, so might as well start a conversation.

He smiled politely at her question. "She's doing well. Business is about the same, and one of my sisters started her own dress shop." His earlier excitement had faded as they walked and the silence clearly outlined the distance that had grown between them.

"Which one?"

Roy rambled on about Katerina's shop for a while, with Riza occasionally asking questions to keep him talking about something that didn't matter, something that wouldn't make her question why he was here.

The conversation didn't last long enough, but it gave Roy the courage he needed to start a new topic. "How have you been faring since I've been gone?"

There was no reason for him to know what happened. She didn't think he would do anything that might hurt her, and she had already trusted him more than anyone else, but those alone weren't reason enough. Besides, he'd look at her like she was broken. Even if she were, she didn't think she could keep going if she acknowledged it.

"Well enough, thank you." Her voice was biting and cold, and she felt a twinge of regret as Roy ducked his head.

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><p>He didn't come with her the next morning and left after only two days, saying that he ought to get back to his aunt to see her while he had time off from school. Riza's father only spoke to him once, on the night he arrived, just long enough for Roy to ask him about learning flame alchemy. Berthold shut him down, saying that even if Roy were ready to learn flame alchemy, he wasn't ready to give it away. He also told his student that regardless of whether or not he graduated from the academy, there was no reason for him to enlist. They disagreed on that point.<p>

As Roy walked to the car waiting to take him to the station, he turned back to Riza, who waited in the doorway. "Whatever it is that I did, I'm sorry." He rode away, leaving Riza standing on the steps. When he was out of sight, she slumped down to the ground, hugged her knees to her chest, and sobbed.

After that, the letters stopped coming, and they didn't see him for more than a year.

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><p><strong>1905<strong>

He showed up with no warning, no phone call or letter announcing his arrival. Riza heard the car roll up while she was trying to repair the sink in the kitchen for the second time that week. She hurried to make herself presentable to whoever had come to see them. They never got visitors, not since her father had stopped hiring himself out as an alchemist.

She saw the uniform first, and her heart tried to rise and sink at the same time, creating a very odd sensation in her chest. It wasn't the military thing - her father had strong feelings about it, but she didn't feel knowledgeable enough about the situation to form her own opinion. Over the past year, she replayed Roy's last visit in her head again and again, each time hating herself a little more for the way she had acted. She had written so many letters to apologize, but never finished any of them. The resentment she had born him during his last visit wasn't there anymore. The tattoo no longer caused her any pain, and she had come to terms with the added complication in her life.

She walked to the main hallway, adjusting her sweater and pants. He knocked on the door and she put her hand on the doorknob, waiting a few seconds before turning it. He held his breath as she looked at him, with the same look he had had when he asked if he could accompany her on her morning walk the last time he was there. She could never forget that look. His chin was slightly tucked, eyes looking up from under his scrunched eyebrows, and a small, sheepish smile finished off the expression of a puppy who knew he had done something wrong and wanted to hear that everything was okay now.

Riza smiled. "Good to see you, Mr. Mustang. Come in." She was glad that he had come back. She thought she would never see him again.

Roy's face lit up when he saw her smile and he grinned. "Thank you, Miss Hawkeye. It's good to see you, too." He looked around the house as he walked in. "Is Master Hawkeye at home?"

She nodded. "He's in his room upstairs. He hardly ever leaves the house now." She noticed he didn't carry any luggage. "Are you staying in town?"

"Yeah, I didn't want to show up unannounced and ask for a place to stay." Riza understood he also meant he wasn't sure how he would be received.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness. How long will you be here?"

"Not long. I just wanted to talk to your father one last time before I officially enlisted." Roy looked down and huffed. "I'm guessing his opinion hasn't changed."

Riza glanced toward the stairs, remembering the monologues about the corruption and futility of the military she had heard after Roy left the first time. He hadn't given any new ones after the last visit, instead pretending like Roy never existed in the first place. "It hasn't, but it can't hurt to ask." She knew Roy was after flame alchemy, and that the only person with the power to give it to him was her. But he didn't have to know that.

"Is it okay if I go up?" he asked.

Riza nodded. "I brought him dinner an hour ago, and he was awake. I'll make some tea for when you finish talking to him." She watched Roy walk up the stairs, coat in hand. She would have offered to take it from him, but her father might be against his staying in the house after their conversation, so it was better to wait and see how it went.

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><p>Two days later, Roy and Riza stood in front of Berthold Hawkeye's grave. The burden on her back had never felt heavier as she listened to him talk about his hopes for the future. Why had her father refused to teach him flame alchemy when his intentions were this pure? She turned her head to encourage him to continue, but he stopped.<p>

When he blushed, she blinked in surprise. "Man, that must have sounded pretty childish, huh?"

She smiled and looked back at the tombstone. "Not at all. There's nothing childish about caring." Her father had been wrong about Roy. She didn't know much about what the military was like, but she knew that Roy could never do anything to hurt someone. The only issue was his continued dedication to his goals. She didn't want to give this power to a slacker, and if his study habits were anything to go by, he would need constant supervision. "I'd like to believe that you're serious about this, that you really do care." She took a breath. "Can I trust you, Roy? With my father's research?"

She felt his eyes on her, but didn't turn her head. He didn't respond for a few moments, so she glanced at him. He was frowning, staring past her. "I don't know." He smiled wryly. "I know I've been pushing for Master Hawkeye to teach me flame alchemy for years, but I don't want to learn it now and then misuse it down the road." He looked back at her, eyes filled with worry.

Riza turned to face him. "I know you. I know that you overthink everything and second guess yourself all the time. I know that you like to tease and slack off and you hold grudges for years. But I also know that you are considerate and reasonable and _good_. If I give you this, you won't misuse it. I already trust you. I just needed to hear you say it."

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><p>Back in the house, she asked him to wait while she got it ready. Most of the furniture in the study had been sold to pay for repairs on the house, so she stood in the middle of the room, empty save for a few cabinets and a couch, and drew the curtain. She slipped off the black tanktop and folded it neatly on the cabinet. She pulled the black jacket around her shoulders and turned her back to the door. "I'm ready. You can come in."<p>

She heard the door open as Roy entered. "This room sure has changed since the last time I was here." She heard him stop abruptly. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"My father didn't want to leave his research lying around on a piece of paper. He wanted to make sure that only the right person ever saw it." She took a deep breath, feeling her heart beat faster. "He asked me to help him preserve it, and to protect it as well. I agreed to help him, so last year, just before you came to visit, he tattooed it onto my back."

"He _what?!_"

Riza sighed. She knew this would be the biggest obstacle in giving the research to Roy. "It's not unheard of. Many alchemists tattoo transmutation circles onto their hands. He wouldn't have done it if I said no." She adjusted the jacket to press her arms tighter against her.

Roy was silent, except for his breathing. She heard him take a breath and pause. "If you don't … If you aren't comfortable…"

She laughed quietly. "It's just my back, Roy." The significance was not lost on her, though. She was a month away from 18, and he would turn 20 this year. But they were just friends, and this was the only way for him to learn flame alchemy. She let the jacket slide off of her, slouching her shoulders and ducking her head to hide her body and stretch out her back.

Roy said nothing for a full minute, and Riza even had to turn her head to make sure he was still there. He looked up, startled at the movement. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm just reading. It's incredible. The first part reads like an ancient epic poem, like the invocation of a muse or something. But in the next part, Master Hawkeye completely disproved the more popular theory about the movement of heat. I don't know if he was right, but it's definitely worth looking into." Riza smiled at his enthusiasm, and he blushed. "If you'd like to sit down or work on this later or something, that's fine. More than fine, considering it's your back, I mean, I don't want to-"

"It's fine. I don't mind. I do need to fix supper in a few minutes, though." She turned back around, and Roy kept marveling aloud at the wonders on her back. '_He's such a dork_,' she thought.

Dinner was spent making plans for Roy to stay for a few weeks to learn everything that was on her back. He didn't want to copy it down, considering the reason it was a tattoo in the first place, so he'd have to only write down the harmless pieces of it and memorize the rest. Riza couldn't help feeling afraid of what would happen when he left. Her fear was somewhat for her own now less uncertain future, but mostly for Roy's. His ideals were nice and all, but how was he going to accomplish them? She knew he couldn't do it alone. She remembered her thoughts from the day he left for the academy, how she was sad that she wouldn't get to see him become a great man and do great things in the world. She smiled to herself. This is where she wanted to be: at his side, helping him. She fingered the card in her jacket pocket that Roy had given her earlier. She would follow him as far as she could, support him to the best of her ability, and make sure that he used flame alchemy for the people.


End file.
